


Death has a soft spot for flip wizards and boy detectives

by Lemonboynme



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Krav is a sweetheart, M/M, temp character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2018-10-05 09:59:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10304117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lemonboynme/pseuds/Lemonboynme
Summary: Kravitz finally meets one boy detective, but not in a way that either of them want or like. Alternatively titled, local man gets yelled at by his mom for letting his boyfriend get away with everything.(newly edited)





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [corypheshits (dracoargentum)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracoargentum/gifts).



It had been a quiet day, steady in a way that his days never seem to get. No bounties to be collected. Just a day spent guiding the souls of the confused to their rightful place. This was probably one of his better duties, it was sad and he genuinely felt for the newly dead. That didn’t mean that he didn’t prefer to talk and comfort people over fighting them. Most people preferred to come with him anyway when he explained that they were likely to lose their minds if they stayed in the material plane for too long. 

 

Still, most of the dead he guides are afraid despite his efforts. Some are resigned rather than volatile. Those were usually older people or people who seem to immediately understand that they were dead. Unfortunately those who tend to be more pleasant have already found their way naturally to the lake and into the astral plane. It was a slow day and it made him cautiously optimistic that he’d be able to drop in and see Taako tonight.

The wizard had informed him a few nights ago, via far speech stone that the mission they were on should be over soon, that they’d definitely be back by Saturday. Taako had punctuated that by saying “I’m winking” in a tone that made him feel like he should be blushing. He probably would have if he hadn’t been in his skeleton form and had no blood to supply that blush. Taako had been everything and nothing he expected. 

 

They’d been seeing each other? Possibly dating for nearly three months. At least it had been three months since Taako had pressed warm hands over his and helped him shape his vase while Kravitz had been torn between attraction and suspicion. The elf would not have been the first to attempt to seduce his way away from the consequences of death. Though he was the first one where Kravitz half thought it might have worked. He was very fond of Taako, He had barely lived but he had been dead for hundreds of years and he had never met a single creature like him. At this point he wasn’t sure what he wouldn’t do for the elf. Which meant that he felt a great deal less guiltily playing hooky on a slow evening than he would have even a year ago. 

 

His pocket watch glowed in his breast pocket. The soft blue dragging down his mood. A child, taken far before his time. Years and years, a future lost to violence. He tucked his stone of far speech back into his shirt, he’d call Taako after this one. His conscience would not allow him to make the child find their way to the astral plane themselves. Taking the time to craft dark features onto bone he opened a rift, the sound of tearing paper echoing in his ears even as he stepped out to a different part of the astral plane. Scythe in hand he was off, stepping through the portal to the section of the astral plane that the child had wondered into. 

 

The astral plane was a confusing place for most, let alone the soul of a child. He would have to be found before he wandered too far from his body. Death was simply the end of one thing but he never stopped feeling an echo of grief when one so young entered his domain. There on what was likely the imitation of a forest floor, was sitting the figure of a small boy. The child looked no older than ten, he was sitting quietly and just looking around. Only slightly startled by the reapers entrance, it was strange to not see tears already streaming down his face. That’s usually how it went, and no matter how many times he never got any better with crying children. The relief he felt was a tad bit guilty as he approached the boy, the projection of his spirit once again surprising in how controlled it was. The boy was even wearing several pieces of clothing and his face was not transparent.

 

“Hello there dear, I;m here to help” He knelt in front of the boy to squeeze his hand, pulling out his book. The way this worked was that he simply needed to open his book and the name of the deceased he was to collect would appear at the top of the page. When he was looking for something more specific he simply had to turn the page and what he needed to know would appear.

 

“Hello sir, I’m Angus and I think I’m dead… sir.” The second sir came after a heart breaking and somewhat shuddery breath. His eyes snapped up from the book that read Agnus McDonald with that days date scrawled underneath another date that had been crossed out, that crossed out date read nearly 78 years from then. He felt sorry for the boy, but a job was a job, He gripped the boys hand gently and helped him up.

 

“Yes, I’m sorry Angus, I’m afraid you’re right” The boys face twisted, a tear leaked out of the corner of his eye. Angus was grasping his hand tighter, the grip the small hand had on him bridged on what Kravitz could recognize as painful despite his deadened nerves.

 

“Sir please could you tell me if my friends are all, right? They were there with me when I… you know, died. Please sir I need to know” The boys face got red and he started to hiccup, grasp tightening on Kravitz’s hand. He hated this part, not truly minding but such a small face should not bear the knowledge of his own demise or his friends. Always he had actually preferred comforting the recently passed to hunting down those who had taken more time than their due. But still he didn’t know what do to with crying child, so he did his best to awkwardly pick up Angus and tuck him against his chest, supporting him with his hip as the boy's crying reached crescendo.

 

He panicked a little bit, maybe a lot .

 

“Of course, I can” Kravitz desperately began explaining his ledger, that they could look to see if his friends were to be collected or if they had made their way to the astral plane themselves with no help. As he explained Angus’s cries quieted and his own rising anxiety calmed itself. He really didn’t react well to crying children, the raven queen always said he was quick to give into it and right now he wasn’t exactly proving her wrong. They had walked a fair way and Angus was nearly where he was meant to be, likely there would be some family member waiting there for him, at least that’s what he hoped. Stopping to set an only softly sniffling Angus down he showed the boy his book, making sure not to show him his own page.

 

“Now all you have to do is put your hand on mine and think about your friends and we’ll be able to see them.” It occurred to him after he said this he shouldn’t be showing a dead boy his friend’s death dates at the very least, but it was too late. They open the book together and the name at the top was Taako Taaco. Wait. What. Taako’s page is something that was hard to forget. He had already memorized the frankly ridiculous amount of scratch marks and corrections on the page that would have usually made him squirm but this was Taako. The elf who had asked death on a date. Angus seemed confused at all the scratch marks.

 

“Huh I guess they did die a lot sir” Angus lets out a little, wet sounding chuckle and the boy kind of half whispers to him “I always thought that maybe they had been making that part up, sir”. Kravitz was still in shock over the whole Taako revelation, this Angus was the Angus Taako had been giving lessons to? Taako talked about the boy often, how annoying the little guy was all while smiling to himself. Taako was invariably fond of the boy and Kravitz was already feeling his professionalism waver after seeing how many years Angus was supposed to have.

 

“I’m ready to go sir, thank you for showing me that they were alright. I get real worried about them- sir, sir! Your skin is, um, it’s coming off sir” Kravitz had allowed his anxiety about the situation overtake his control, bone had begun popping out from behind fabricated flesh.

 

He took a moment to breathe, fix his face because Angus looked like he was contemplating letting go of Kravitz’s hand. Angus had kept hold of it even as the reaper has set the boy down. What to do? He used to be so good at his job before meeting Taako. Now all he could see was the elf’s face, Taako who had so many walls and hurts that Kravitz had no hope of reaching. He couldn’t bare adding to that. 

 

He sent a prayer to the Raven queen that was more of a half formed plea. She didn’t strike him down where he stood so he took it as a sign. Kneeling in front of the boy he took his other hand and made sure to look the little boy in the eyes.

 

“Angus, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?” Angus, who’s still looking a little freaked, nods hard. “Well it appears that I know your friends, Taako especially” The boy’s eyes widen.

 

“You’re not Kravitz are you!” He nearly shouts this, his little body bouncing excitedly. “You went to the Chug’ n’ Squeeze with Taako!” both were technically questions but both are entirely rhetorical. “You’re Taako’s secret boyfriend!” He feels that blush climb to his cheeks, thankfully hidden by dark skin.

 

“Well. Yes, I think so.” Was his awkward reply, he used to be so good at his job and here he was and the urge to put his head in his hands nearly overwhelmed him. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

 

“Angus we have very little time so you need to listen to me, were you with Taako when you, um. Well when you died” Angus’s smile dims for a moment but he nods.

 

“Yes, it’s why I was worried sir. We were out with Mr. Magnus and Mr. Merle, I was going with them to the Neverwinter for some shopping and we were attacked by bandits.” Angus talks faster and faster but gets quiet as he relays the events of his death. He had seen the bandits first and when the three had faced off with the bandits, an arrow that missed one mark caught Angus Square in the chest and when the boy had fallen the boys had still been fighting.

 

“I don’t think they noticed, I was supposed to be hiding sir.” Angus actually looked a little ashamed and Kravitz reached out to comb the boy’s hair as a few more tears slipped out.

 

“Well we need to fix that, won’t we?” Angus looked a little confused as he rubbed a hand against the corner of his eye.

 

“Sir, you don’t mean…” Kravitz doesn’t let him finish, he’s moving, his scythe draw and focusing on Taako’s soul as he reaches out to tear a portal, the sound of paper ripping made Angus jump this time and then they were stepping through. It was his grip now that would have been painful if Angus could feel it, he shuddered to think what would happen to the boy’s soul while they were traveling from plane to plane if his hand slipped from Kravitz’s. They stepped out into the woods on the side of the road where Angus had fallen, for a moment there was the silence of portal travel and a wall of noise hit them.

 

He could see the three huddled together, backs to them. Magnus was sobbing outright, something close to wailing. Merle was shouting, swearing more like and he could see the cleric burning to spell slots with healing spells in quick succession. Merle cried more curses towards his patron god, his yelling and Magnus’ crying must have covered up their entry. The boys would only be able to see Kravitz, Angus would only appear to them as a dim light held tightly within Kravitz’s hand. They approached and he heard Angus gasp at the sight of his bloody, though newly healed body lying pale in the cradle of Taako’s arms.

 

“Don’t look please” He wanted to spare the boy as much pain as he could. Angus put a little hand over his eyes as Merle and Magnus turned to look at him. Magnus glared and Merle seemed ready to charge him but Taako didn’t turn around. The elf’s voice was low and broken in a way he’d never heard and hoped to never hear again.

 

“Not now. Please Kravitz, not now.” Taako had heard the portal open then. There were no tears on his face and he wasn’t raging at the sky, he was still and cold in a way that sent a pang of grief through him. He knew in that moment that consequences be damned, this was the right choice.

 

“I’m sorry but this can’t happen any other time, darling.” He kneels in front of Taako and he sees him clutch the boy’s cooling body even closer. Taako is looking at him with a blank expression but with eyes that were filled with fire.

“horse shit. I swear to god. I will burn all my spell slots on you if you don’t back off Krav.” The elves breath was coming faster. “Please.” If Kravitz had, had both hands free he would take the time to reassure him but he had no time. Souls were not meant to stay outside the astral plane, much less stay bound in his hand. When he was collecting, he could use his scythe but if he wanted Angus to wake up he had to make do with his hand. Taako would probably have a joke to go with that but not now.

 

“Trust me please” The second time he’s asked someone to trust him in one day, honestly, he didn’t bother to interact this much normally.

 

In a moment, he was opening his hand and pressing it palm first onto Angus’s forehead. The little boy drew a shuddering gasp before sitting up fast in Taako’s lap.

 

“fuck yes!” Taako pulled Angus close and squeezed him tight before Magnus was whooping loud and grabbing the small boy and tossing him up in the air. Merle was standing their staring a little shell shocked. Suddenly Taako was on him and they were kissing. Rather Taako was kissing him over and over, his hands were shaking as they held Kravitz’s face. Taako turned to them to squeeze Angus and Magnus into a hug, looking back at merle and Kravitz

 

“It’s group hug time now you motherfuckers” He gives in for a moment, a quick squeeze with Angus shouting and giggling inside the hug sandwich they had created with a him filling.

 

“Thank you sirs!” Magnus was giving Angus a noogie. The boys cracked glasses were now askew on his face. His stone blinked, this time he was being summoned. Oh no.

 

Well...The smiles on their faces were worth it. Magnus suddenly is on him, hugging him and lifting his current body which was not an inconsiderable mass into the air like nothing. It was… nice. But he had to face the music, Raven queen kind of music. He waited until they had put Angus on Garyll, pulling Taako to the side. His face dropped and his suit grew into a cloak as his face grew more skeletal.

 

“I might not be able to see you for a long while, this was wayyyy more than just clearing your bounties. Like way more.” He squeezes Taako’s hand, Taako kisses him on his forehead.

 

“Whatever dude, thanks though.” It made Kravitz want to smile and he was tempted to build his physical form to do just that, to kiss Taako goodbye but his far speech stone was glowing brighter every moment he stalled. Though he did manage a laugh before waving goodbye to the boys, goodbye to Angus. Then he was opening a rift and in a dark room where the Raven queen sat unilluminated on her throne.

 

“Now, I know what you’re thinking and I can explain.”

 

The Raven queen throws her head back and laughs.

**Author's Note:**

> This is for spicyboitaako on tumblr i hope they enjoy my barely edited trash


End file.
